The Coronavirus outbreak has led workers from all kinds of industries to push for greater protections from their employers. Retail is no exception.
At retail stores that have been classified as essential, like pharmacies and groceries, some workers are pushing for hazard pay, as they grow increasingly worried that coming into their stores each day means putting their personal health at risk. They’re also asking for their employers to provide them with personal protective equipment, like masks and gloves. Meanwhile, some workers at stores like GameStop and Joann Fabrics have tangled with managers over the fact that they believe corporate has wrongly classified their stores as essential.
This begs the question of how, once the coronavirus outbreak slows, which temporary changes to a retailer’s paid sick leave policy or pay increases will stick. One potential outcome: that more retail workers will seek to unionize.